I'm probably going, early so that (hopefully) the crowds aren't too overwhelming. There's always a ton of free food to try, and you can buy stuff that you'd otherwise have to order online (and pay for shipping), like Herbivore clothing and those weird veggie meats from May Wah.

I've never been to the Worcester one so I can't compare. But even if you aren't that impressed, at least it's free, and you can make the trip worthwhile by going out to eat afterwords. My fiance doesn't care about it much but will make the trip just to get soft serve ice cream at Like No Udder. They have a huge list of exhibitors on the website, maybe that will help you decide if it's worth it?

_________________"I feel like it's not a real political discussion if I'm not morally opposed to something I don't understand." - ndpittman

I went to Worcester a couple years ago, and it was super small/laid back in comparison to the Boston one. We'll be in Boston anyway, so we might stop by, even though navigating with an 8 month old should be pretty interesting. But Like No Udder is a definite draw!

I went last year and it was overwhelming with large crowds but I got a donut, which was ridiculously exciting. Didn't try Like No Udder, but I really liked all the vendors and the one talk/demo I went to was pretty neat (though very crowded).

_________________"Vegan to me means Oreos for breakfast." -Poopiebitch"tl;dr: I quit working to drink beer paid for with gift cards" erikasoyf*cker

Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:51 amPosts: 6025Location: United States of New England

i remember the Worcester one being very small and very few free samples. mainly you had to pay for stuff.all the free samples at the Boston one are tempting me but if it's going to be filthy with people i wonder how many samples i will actually be able to get?

Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:51 amPosts: 6025Location: United States of New England

i also want to see if Herbivore is bringing their new Whale shirt to VegFest so i can look at it in person.i really want one but their clothes tend to run small and since im pregnant i feel like im only going to be getting fatter at this point.....

VegFest is awesome and well worth it, but the crowds are a bit overwhelming. Tinctoris and I are meeting up there on Sunday. (I have to work Saturday, blah.) Saturday will be the only day to get Vegan Treats donuts if they're there. They don't last into Sunday.

_________________No. No. fork life allatimes. - mumblesThat commercial didn't make me want to go out and buy Dove, but this thread did make me sniff my armpits. They smell like apricot. - designedtobekind

I really wish I could go to this, but I just can't deal with the crowds! I went once 7 or 8 years ago. The crowds were so bad, I couldn't even get to any of the tables to check out the free samples. I was shoved, elbowed, stepped on, slammed into... every time I would get close to a table, people would shove me back. I've been in crowded places before, the subway at rush hour, etc., but this was somehow worse. I was also followed by some creepy guy who kept invading my personal space, asking what my name was, where I was from, etc. I tried to lose him in the crowd, but he just kept pursuing. I ended up having a panic attack about 5 minutes after getting there and having to call for a ride to go home. So if anyone is prone to anxiety in crowded situations, I'd probably skip it.

Yeah, I totally get that, rc. Last year I went around 1 on Sunday. Some people are really insistent on being wherever they want to be without worrying about people in the way, so I was unintentionally pushed out of the way pretty often. I had a hard time sticking with my fiance because he was just going wherever he wanted and isn't bothered by crowds and I guess he didn't realize how much trouble I was having. (Funny you mention panic attacks, because I never really knew what they were and now that I've looked them up I'm sure I've experienced something similar several times, though never severe enough that I felt that I needed a doctor.)

Anyway, I'm hoping to mitigate my usual crowd issues by (1) making a list of the things I want to try/buy so I'm not overwhelmed with decision making on the spot, (2) not trying to keep track of where my fiance is at all, and (3) pretending to be a human battering ram.

_________________"I feel like it's not a real political discussion if I'm not morally opposed to something I don't understand." - ndpittman

I got the same shirt! Also, donuts from Vegan Treats and all kinds of delicious samples. And carrot cake from Cafe Indigo. And softserve from Like No Udder. Mmmmm.

_________________No. No. fork life allatimes. - mumblesThat commercial didn't make me want to go out and buy Dove, but this thread did make me sniff my armpits. They smell like apricot. - designedtobekind

Hubby and I went, ate wraps and pumpkin whoopie pies from Café Indigo, bought shirts and buttons from Herbivore, made friends with the Gardein chef, had salted caramel coconut ice cream from FoMu (AMAZING), bought cupcakes from Vegan Treats, bought the Fakin' Bacon chocolate bar from Rescue Chocolate, and now we are home and tired and I just want to eat veggies for dinner because I pigged out on vegan goodies all day. I still have a pumpkin struesel cheezcake cupcake from Vegan Treats waiting for me. Om nom nom nom nom.

I was there for about 20 minutes, saw what I wanted to see, got a cannoli from Vegan Treats (I think?) and a maple bacon donut from the local donut person, got a subscription to the new vegan fitness magazine for $10 from someone I've met before and then RAN AWAY because like RC, I have huge trouble with crowds/crowded places.

_________________"Vegan to me means Oreos for breakfast." -Poopiebitch"tl;dr: I quit working to drink beer paid for with gift cards" erikasoyf*cker

I thought it was really good this year- I was there around 1 PM today and the crowd wasn't bad once we got out on the floor. I ate a slice from Peace O Pie immediately since I was starving when I arrived, and ate a ton of awesome samples, plus soft serve from Like No Udder, naturally. I finally tried the Daiya wedge (Havarti) and was actually impressed, though I pretend to hate Daiya. I have to admit that their grilled cheese samples were also rather delicious.

_________________"If I were M. de la Viandeviande, I would now write a thirteen page post about how you have to have free will to be vegan, but modern science does not suggest any evidence for free will, therefore it is impossible to be vegan." -mumbles

I, too, got this shirt (which I put on the minute I got home, wore all day yesterday, and may never take off/wash - so pretty and soft)! We arrived late on Saturday, after most of the crowd had cleared out, so it wasn't too bad. We ate some free samples, bought some beautiful soap, scored a 3-for-1 deal from Peanut Butter & Co (we came away with spicy hot, white chocolate, and cinnamon & raisin flavors!), saw an old friend from Grey 2K who we only ever run into at these things, and then had an awesome visit and dinner at True Bistro with Josh Hooten. Definitely the best part of an otherwise worky (and eventually rainy) weekend!

Dinner with Josh would be the best! The highlight of VegFest for me is getting to chat with him. And...donuts.

_________________No. No. fork life allatimes. - mumblesThat commercial didn't make me want to go out and buy Dove, but this thread did make me sniff my armpits. They smell like apricot. - designedtobekind